Making Sense of the World with Words

Here are the books I read in 2009, in chronological order. I’ve put in bold the ones I particularly enjoyed or found the most helpful. Not putting a book in bold doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, though. After all, these are the books I read cover to cover this year, and I wouldn’t have finished them if I didn’t like them.

Since it’s New Year’s Eve, I’m tempted to make a book-reading resolution for 2010, but I think I will refrain. It would be an accomplishment to read a book every week this coming year, but then I look at some of the books I’d like to read (like Jesus and the Victory of God by N.T. Wright or The Mission of God by Christopher J.H. Wright), and I don’t think I’m likely to finish those in a week. So I’ll just keep reading what I want and what I have time to read, and posting short reviews each month.

1. Between Two Worlds: The Art of Preaching in the Twentieth Century by John Stott2. The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries by Rodney Stark
3. Not Even A Hint: Guarding Your Heart Against Lust by Joshua Harris4. A Holy Meal: The Lord’s Supper in the Life of the Church by Gordon T. Smith

5. A Primer on Postmodernism by Stanley Grenz6. Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy! by Bob Harris
7. Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton

8. Total Truth: Liberating Christianity From Its Cultural Captivity by Nancy Pearcey
9. John Stott: The Making of a Leader by Timothy Dudley-Smith

10. Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings11. The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins
12. The Jeopardy! Book by Alex Trebek and Peter Barsocchini

13. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving14. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright15. The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin Jr.
16. God Will Make A Way: What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend

17. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller
18. A Peculiar People: The Church as Culture in a Post-Christian Society by Rodney Clapp19. Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch
20. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank21. The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day

22. Landscapes of the Soul: The Loss of Moral Meaning in American Life by Douglas V. Porpora
23. The Essential Shakespeare Handbook by Leslie Dunton-Downer and Alan Riding

24. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving From Affluence to Generosity by Ronald J. Sider
25. Praying With the Church: Following Jesus Daily, Hourly, Today by Scot McKnight
26. The Ascent of a Leader: How Ordinary Relationships Develop Extraordinary Character and Influence by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNichol and Ken McElrath27. The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight28. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell29. The Theology of the Book of Revelation by Richard Bauckham

30. Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America by Mike Yankoski
31. Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts: Seven Questions to Ask Before (and After) You Marry by Les and Leslie Parrott
32. Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt

33. The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling
34. The Heart of a Goof by P.G. Wodehouse

35. The Irresistible Revolution: Living As an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne36. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University by Kevin Roose
37. The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British by Sarah Lyall

38. What Should I Do With My Life? by Po Bronson
39. Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? by Philip Yancey40. Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture by Adam S. McHugh41. A Guide to Biblical Prophecy: A Balanced and Biblical Assessment of the Nature of Prophecy in the Bible edited by Carl Armerding and Ward Gasque42. Discipleship on the Edge: An Expository Journey Through the Book of Revelation by Darrell Johnson